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Safe at Home plan released as partners prepare to address next steps

Joint news release

Post Date:10/25/2017

The Safe at Home Action Plan to end and prevent homelessness has been released by the partners who authored the report.

Developed as a result of the 2015 Vulnerable Persons Initiative, the plan targets improved housing options and service coordination for low income and vulnerable Yukoners. It focuses on a Housing First concept, which recognizes safe and secure housing as the first step to improving an individual’s life.

The plan was informed by individuals with lived experience as well as input from community members.

The four government partners are City of Whitehorse, Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN), Ta’an Kwäch’än Council (TKC), and Yukon government, represented by the Department of Health and Social Services and Yukon Housing Corporation. The co-chairs for the Safe at Home Action Plan were Kristina Craig (Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition) and Christina Sim with KDFN.

The report is being released in advance of a dedicated forum on National Housing Day November 22 to allow dedicated advocates and partners time to review the report and come prepared to design the next stage.

Quotes

“Through this plan, four governments and a community agency have come together to address a concern we all share. We are committed to addressing homelessness with a Housing First approach and we will work together to help our vulnerable population be safe at home. None of us alone are responsible for addressing the issues of homelessness but together we will find a solution.”

– Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister Responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation Pauline Frost

“Safe at Home is a living document that will evolve as our community changes. If the actions in this plan are consistently honoured, it will serve as a significant act of reconciliation for all people who find themselves struggling on our streets – both First Nations and non-First Nations.”

– Kwanlin Dün First Nation Chief Doris Bill

“It is through collaboration and partnerships that we will be successful in reducing homelessness in our territory. Ta’an Kwäch’än Council is proud to be a part of this community-based approach, which will have a direct impact on our Citizens and other Yukoners, as we work together to reduce poverty and homelessness in our community, and in turn, promote community safety.”

–Ta’an Kwäch’än Council Chief Kristina Kane

“There are vulnerable individuals in our community and we have a shared responsibility to come together and provide them with a safe and healthy place to live. We do not have all the answers but we will continue working with our community and partners towards a better society for everyone.”

– Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis

Quick facts

KDFN operated an alternative cold weather shelter in Whitehorse during the colder months of 2017.

Whitehorse is one of five Canadian cities to receive support from the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness for a one-year project to learn about, develop and pilot By-Name Lists and Coordinated Access Systems. This project will create a centralized list of people who are homeless that is then used to prioritize services and housing in a community. It leads to quality, real time data that can be used for a variety of purposes: 1) to get people housed and supported appropriately, 2) to advocate for housing and supports currently not available and 3) to work to a goal of ending chronic and episodic homelessness.

Ta’an Kwäch’än Council addressed the low-income housing crisis through a partnership with Da Daghay Development Corporation, Yukon Government, and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Beginning in November 2017, Ta’an Kwäch’än Council Citizens will find homes in twelve of the newly constructed River Bend’s 42 units, with 30 units becoming available to Yukoners through Yukon Housing.

Four non-government organizations have created housing navigator positions to assist vulnerable and hard to house individuals that this plan speaks to. These are Blood Ties Four directions, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society Yukon, Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre and Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition.

Yukon government hosted two Housing First 101 workshops in spring and summer 2017